Wait until his cane runs over the first lump of dog pooh! You also have to remember that using a white cane is a contact sport, so be ready with the odd ice pack or band aid for those delightful days when van drivers leave their cab doors open or there is a brush with an overhanging rose branch - it's those little things that make the difference.
Seriously there will be downsides but keep looking on the bright side if you can. Not everyone is happy with the idea of having a guide dog but in many respects they are a more relaxed means of mobility than a cane, something to bear in mind for the future because a hearing loss brings a load more problems to mobility and a dog can be aware of a car coming round a bend before the guide dog owner steps out. In fact I didn't even have a hearing loss and my first dog, Hector, would not get up from the sit at a curb when a very quiet car whooshed past us and likely save my life. Tell himself that guide dogs are great bird pullers too! Trouble was they were mostly over eighty but I often found a doting mini skirted young lady from the office under my desk and it surprised us both when I went to stroke Hector only to find my hand elsewhere. Oh happy days! G >From Bridgerule in glorious Devon, England. On 22 May 2012, at 15:19, Mrs. Lynnette Annabel Smith wrote: > Hello Gordon > > On 22 May 2012, at 14:11, Gordon Keen <[email protected]> wrote: > > • This is a very positive development indeed. Independence of mobility is > hugely important in enhancing self esteem, it can only help our lad to get > out and about. > > Gordon is ecstatic about the possibilities this is opening for him and even > now he's smiling. It's lovely to see that smile again after all this time. > It's even more fantastic, I cannot find the words to describe the feeling, to > see the laughing, joking and positive Gordon sitting with me right now. He's > just been out and done another practise walk; and I was following at a > distance. I know how important it is for me not to be at his elbow when he > does these walks. One has to show trust and faith in him. It's difficult at > times not to be over-protective but I'm learning. > > • One step at a time though, no need to enter him for the Great North run > just yet, although...how would he feel about a giant pink rabbit suit? > > Hey now; both of those sound like great ideas! ;-) > > I know we have to take it slowly; but the instructor herself told me that the > first step, confidence, is the most difficult step to deal with and Gordon is > now on the way towards doing that. Of course, as many will know, he has now > an additional sensory impairment which he didn't have to deal with in the > past; that is his hearing impairment. I know that is a real source of > frustration to Gordon, and I'm doing everything in my power to try and make > that easier for him. For instance, I just got him a new instrument called a > "ComPilot" which is a device that acts as a bridge between external audio and > bluetooth devices and his hearing instruments. It is so new that the hearing > instruments need software modifications to make them fully compatible. But > we'll get that done. > > Anyway, thank you for your kind words of support. They are very much > appreciated. That goes for everybody who has shown us friendship during the > past four years where things have been, at times, very very difficult. I have > never and will never forget the support which others have offered us during > this time. > > Lynne > > ======================================== > > The Just-chat E-Mail forum is guaranteed malware, spyware, Trojan, virus and > worm-free > > To modify your subscription options, please visit for forum's dedicated web > pages located at: > <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/just-chat> > > You can find an archive of all messages posted to the just-chat group at > either of the following: > <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/just-chat/index.html> > or: > <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> > You may subscribe with your RSS reader at the following URL: > <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml> > > --------------------------------------- > ======================================== The Just-chat E-Mail forum is guaranteed malware, spyware, Trojan, virus and worm-free To modify your subscription options, please visit for forum's dedicated web pages located at: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/mailman/listinfo/just-chat> You can find an archive of all messages posted to the just-chat group at either of the following: <http://mail.tft-bbs.co.uk/pipermail/just-chat/index.html> or: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]> You may subscribe with your RSS reader at the following URL: <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.xml> ---------------------------------------
